Janet Royall, Baroness Royall of Blaisdon

Janet Anne Royall, Baroness Royall of Blaisdon, PC (born 20 August 1955), is a British Labour Co-operative Party politician. She was Leader of the House of Lords and Lord President of the Council. She is the principal of Somerville College, Oxford.

The Right Honourable
The Baroness Royall of Blaisdon
PC
Principal of Somerville College, Oxford
Assumed office
August 2017
Leader of the Opposition in the Lords
Shadow Leader of the House of Lords
In office
11 May 2010 – 27 May 2015
LeaderHarriet Harman (Acting)
Ed Miliband
Preceded byThe Lord Strathclyde
Succeeded byThe Baroness Smith of Basildon
Ministerial offices 2005-2010
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
In office
5 June 2009 – 11 May 2010
Prime MinisterGordon Brown
Preceded byLiam Byrne
Succeeded byThe Lord Strathclyde
Leader of the House of Lords
In office
3 October 2008 – 11 May 2010
Prime MinisterGordon Brown
Preceded byThe Baroness Ashton of Upholland
Succeeded byThe Lord Strathclyde
Lord President of the Council
In office
2 October 2008 – 5 June 2009
Prime MinisterGordon Brown
Preceded byThe Baroness Ashton of Upholland
Succeeded byThe Lord Mandelson
Chief Whip of the House of Lords
Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms
In office
24 January 2008 – 3 October 2008
Prime MinisterGordon Brown
Preceded byThe Lord Grocott
Succeeded byThe Lord Bassam of Brighton
Baroness-in-waiting
Government Whip
In office
10 May 2005 – 25 January 2008
Prime MinisterTony Blair
Gordon Brown
Preceded byThe Lord Triesman
Succeeded byThe Baroness Thornton
Members of the House of Lords
Lord Temporal
Assumed office
11 October 2004
Life Peerage
Personal details
Born (1955-08-20) 20 August 1955
Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England
Political partyLabour and Co-operative
Spouse
Stuart Hercock
​
​
(m. 1980; died 2010)​
Children3
Alma materUniversity of London

Education and early political career

Royall grew up in Gloucestershire in Hucclecote and Newnham on Severn, where her parents ran a shop.[1]

Royall was educated at the Royal Forest of Dean Grammar School and Westfield College, University of London, where she gained a BA in Spanish and French in 1977.

Royall was a special adviser to Neil Kinnock, the leader of the Labour Party, in the 1980s, and she has remained a close ally of his ever since. She sought selection as Labour's candidate for Ogmore in a 2002 by-election, losing to Huw Irranca-Davies. In 2003 she became head of the European Commission office in Wales.[2]

House of Lords

On 25 June 2004, she was created a life peer as Baroness Royall of Blaisdon, of Blaisdon in the County of Gloucestershire.[3] She spoke for the Health, International Development and Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs.

On 24 January 2008 Royall was appointed government chief whip in the House of Lords, on the resignation of Lord Grocott. She was appointed a Privy Counsellor later in the year. On 3 October 2008, she was appointed to the cabinet by Gordon Brown, as Leader of the House of Lords and Lord President of the Council. On 5 June 2009, Royall was succeeded as Lord President by Lord Mandelson, the Business Secretary, and was appointed Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.

She voted for a 100% elected House, on the last occasion that the House of Lords voted on Reform of the House of Lords in March 2007.[4] She has called for a national referendum on any reforms of the chamber.

In September 2012, she spoke out against the proposed badger cull.[5]

She announced in May 2015 that she would not seek re-election as the Leader of the Opposition in the House of Lords.[6]

In 2016, she chaired an investigation into allegations of antisemitism in Oxford University Labour Club and was subsequently one of two Vice-Chairs of the Chakrabarti Inquiry into antisemitism in the UK Labour Party.[7]

Principal of Somerville College

In February 2017, Somerville College, Oxford, announced the selection of Baroness Royall as its next principal.[8] She succeeded Alice Prochaska at the end of August 2017.[8]

Personal life

She was married to Stuart Hercock from 1980 until his death in 2010, and has a daughter, Charlie, and two sons, Ned and Harry.[9]

References
  1. "Baroness Royall talks cost of living, utility bills and immigration ahead of elections". Gloucester Citizen.
  2. "Euro appointment under fire". BBC. 16 May 2003.
  3. "No. 57341". The London Gazette. 30 June 2004. p. 8139.
  4. "Public Whip".
  5. "Big Issue: Baroness Jan Royall of Blaisdon on the badger cull". This is Gloucestershire.
  6. "Baroness Royall to step down as Labour leader in the Lords".
  7. The Jewish Chronicle. “Shami Chakrabarti Is yet to Comment on Release of Royall Report into Labour Antisemitism.” Accessed July 29, 2020. https://www.thejc.com/news/uk/shami-chakrabarti-is-yet-to-comment-on-release-of-royall-report-into-labour-antisemitism-1.61744
  8. Announcement of new Principal at Somerville College, Somerville College, 9 Feb 2017.
  9. "Royall of Blaisdon, Baroness, (Janet Anne Royall) (born 20 Aug. 1955)". Who's Who. 2007. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U44490.
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